Warhol on top in Bukowskis Contemporary & Design

Ever since the sale of Andy Warhol's Supper painting, the artist has been a frequent feature in Bukowskis' contemporary and postwar auctions. This year, an early portrait of jazz musician Bobby Short is the star of the auction.

The contemporary sale looks to be a strong auction with several masterpieces. Towering at the top of both the art and graphics department is one of the world's most in demand artists right now, Andy Warhol. The lot with the highest estimate in the sale is Warhol portraits of Bobby Short, the legendary jazz musician and Warhol's close friend.

Warhol's portrait of jazz musician Bobby Short

The triptych was completed in the autumn of 1963, in the same style and using the same method as Warhol's famous portraits of Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.
Bobby Short, 1924-2005, was a respected jazz musician who was tied to Atlantic Records for over thirty years. The piece has an estimate of £540 000-620 000.

''These artworks are not only from his most interesting and challenging period, they are also unique in that they add a piece of the puzzle to the image of the enigmatic Warhol. Here is a hint of warmth and presence. It is incredibly exciting that we are once again allowed to provide international art of this caliber,'' says Anna Persson, Head of the Art Department.

Bukowskis Contemporary & Design looks on paper to be one of their stronger auctions for a while, with several top lots, of which particularly worth mentioning Irving Penn's Cuzco Children, 1948, Ann-Sofi Sidén's Queen of Mud (1997), and several key works by Klara Lidén and Nathalie Djurberg, all of whom have had great success internationally.
The auction takes place on 11th November. Check it out on Barnebys here.